Not sure how but I suddenly own a 2012 370z with a Stillen Supercharger & LOTS more!
 

I was going to post this thread in the introduction area but since there's a lot more to the story of me stumbling upon the car, along with various questions etc, I figured I'd toss it in the general section instead..

FYI I am a NNJ photo/artist type person with a pension for speed. Here's a few of car related photos:

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3945/...4bef8955_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7550/...1c9b7cc8_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7518/...4edc2c03_b.jpg

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3945/...fc8b0c32_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7568/...54e91afe_b.jpg

So I'd been looking into getting a new car for a while but what I wanted was either out of my price range or just wasn't practical enough. I was looking at new cars but then decided to check into used cars as well. I realized that one of the cars I'd never really looked into was the 350z. I've always LOVED the classic 300zx but never got one for various reasons. So I randomly decide to roll over to the local Nissan dealer to see if they had a 350 or 370 so I could actually sit in one. Gotta make sure the cockpit feels comfy obviously..

I get there to talk to a salesman and without even giving me the cliche GEE WILIKERS, HAVE I EVER GOT A GREAT DEAL FOR YOU BUDDY!, he straight up face palmed like- dude, there is the sickest deal on a 370 here it's not even funny. I was still in yeah whatever just show me the car mode even tho I had no idea what awaited me in the lot. As we walked over he started telling me about how the car had all kinds of reddic parts in it etc, etc.. When I first saw it I noticed right away that it had some sick wheels and F+R big brake kits. Which was pretty cool but I wasn't fully prepared for what was under the hood- a freaking Stillen Supercharger kit! At that point I was like, wait a minute- WTF is going on here?!

So here's the story behind the car. Some rich dude who buys a car from them like once or twice a year picked up a fully loaded 2012 370z Touring model with nav, leather, suede, etc. Then takes it to this reputable tuner shop in my area and has them install:

Stillen Supercharger kit
Stillen cat back exhaust
H+R Coilovers
AP Racing brakes front and rear
Massive Modular Society custom 3 piece Tension 8 Giorno wheels
Dynamic Sprint Booster

Then for whatever reason he trades it in with a measly 7700 miles on it for a Pathfinder, LOL! My assumption is that it was too much power or the honeymoon was over and wanted something more practical. Not that any of that matters because here I am in being blown away by a near brand new 450-500ish hp turn key hp monster! Here's where it gets into even more shocking territory. Thing is when he traded the car in, the dealer obviously couldn't cover the cost of the performance add ons so he lost like 20k in parts and who knows how much money in labor. It was initially priced higher but after sitting on the dealer lot for a year with no takers, they were desperate and dropped the price down to $30k! So yeah, this thing had my name written ALL OVER IT. Did a bunch of research on everything, then went back in the next day and signed my name on the line that is dotted! Amazing!! It's been a few weeks now and I'm STILL IN SHOCK that I own an essentially 60+k tuner car for like half price :-D

So here's a few photos of the car as it sits now:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7532/...036b586d_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7549/...673988c9_b.jpg

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8569/...a444dfa3_b.jpg

Thing is so amazing I don't even know where to start. I've never driven a car, let alone owned one with anywhere near as much power, so yeah, I'm pretty amped on it. Funny thing is that I never owned a MT car or really learned how to drive stick well before owning this thing, LOL! Don't worry, I bought a brand new BMW S1000RR in mid 13' so I wasn't totally new to monster HP and MT..

Having said all that, while the core of what I could possibly ever want in a car is there, it can def use some styling tweaks. Most notably the rediculous CF wrap on the roof, gas cap, F+R bumpers etc. That **** is getting yanked off STAT. I wasn't too super hot on the wheels at first until I realized that if I swapped the silver hardware for black, they would look WAY better and less busy:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7463/...ca0c3fc7_b.jpg

I would eventually like to get the Stillen body kit and Amuse rear bumper as I am diggin that combo pretty hard. Not sure if I'm into the pedestal type spoiler or not. Mostly because I haven't been 22 in a very long time and I don't feel the need to compete with the douchey kids with the raspy old cars in my neighborhood, hehe. I would DIE for a performance bagged set up but that's not happening for a while either..

As far as performance goes, I was Initially thinking to get some headers etc but from what I've read here, it seems like if anything at all, I should get the 928 motorsports upgraded supercharger impeller, an Uprev tune and call it a day. I am curious about the 9psi pulley and a lightened crank pulley but again, it seems like those aren't really nesescary or worth it after the impeller and tune. Def plan on getting an oil cooler going sooner rather than later..

For now I'm planning on some 15 and 20mm wheelspacers (extended bolt version), raising the car a little bit as it bottoms out and scraps too much for my taste, switching to synthetic oil, switching to black hardware on the wheels and maybe rolling the fenders if need be. Oh and ripping the vinyl crap off..

So yeah, there you have it. Gnarly huh? Anyways, I hope you guys don't mind the super long first post! Please holler at me with any suggestions, thoughts and or answers to my performance related questions..

Lastly, I wanted to thank everyone for contributing to this forum as it has been an invaluable resource for learning more about this car and getting a little less sleep at night, hehe. If you're in the NNJ area and want some shots of your car feel free to hmu..

Congrats and welcome. Good first post.

First congrats.
Second, head over to the FI section and read up on some of the Stillen threads (they will lead you in the right direction on what to/not do). Also, get the tune ASAP, if it is running the Stillen tune then that is bad (or could be).

Take some driving classes!!! You came out the womb running without learning to crawl first and trust me at some point your gonna fall flat on your face if your not careful. These cars can get loose in stock form and I've seen way too many crashes posted on this site of people who've never driven a stick or decided to let a Z be there first car thinking they can handle the power or swinging rear of a Posi car. I knew a guy who decided a ZR1 was gonna be his first performance car and needless to say he had it for a week before he wrecked it. Congats on the purchase and keep us posted on the future upgrades.

Nice pick up! I'm surprised it doesn't already have an oil cooler if it's supercharged... that's quite an oversight by the previous owner. Enjoy your new beast!

Very nice. I'm eyebaling that Stillen Supercharger myself.

Nick

Nice pickup! You should hit some NNJR autox events at the Meadowlands this summer. Get a feel for her, and take some pictures while you're at it.

WOW! You did get quite the deal from that for sure! Hope you don't have any issues from your kit especially if you are looking to upgrade the impeller and 9 psi pulley. I was eye balling the Stillen kit until I read enough about problems with the set up and destroying engines. I got quoted here in Knoxville for the Stillen kit + install is around $8000 total. Unless they release a new kit with improved reliability before I return from Afghanistan I am doing the Boosted Performance single turbo and save a little money since I still need to get the F.I. exhaust and upgraded clutch/tires.

Wow! What a deal! We all hate you. J/K. Congrats and take it easy with that and don't let the ponies buck you off.

Congrats!! I think I know where you bought that Z from lol east Coast Nissan? ....looks like your really close to where I and a few other live, check this thread out for future meets and events we will have once the winter is over http://www.the370z.com/north-east-re...thread-79.html

PS
We can even get together for a few pictures of our cars

Oh is that the one where some dog crapped in the cabin?

:bowrofl:

Another reason why my golden never rides with me besides his hair.

Congrats on your new ride OP, enjoy it and have fun. :driving:

Cruel and crass. I like it.

OP - warm welcome to this forum. Going on my 3rd year this April and learned a lot. More important is the many people I've met. Enjoy.

Welcome and congrats, hope to see you at our meets!

One, get a compression test and an oil analysis any time you're considering buying a highly modified car. Two, go get a custom tune. It'll be safer, smoother and more powerful. The Stillen tune is a major problem. Last, don't change the pullies or the impeller, it seems like everyone here who has done that experienced engine failure.

Don't go messing with the supercharger... as stated above. Especially the impeller. I have the 9 lb pulley already but I would not have added it if it didn't have it already. Be happy with the 500bhp (430ish to the wheels) and keep your engine together. Make sure it is tuned and tuned properly. They can be a pain in the rear to get right. I know, mine is at the shop. Enjoy the car. It is a pretty car. It is fun to drive. It tends to turn heads. But most importantly, you like it.

Wow, great first post. And yes, please get your FI checked out. Congrats!

Good tunning shops are RT Tunning and Real Auto Dynamics

The only upgrade to the kit that seems to be a good idea is swapping out the heat exchanger.

You now have plenty of car. Before you modify it listen to other Super charged owners. We all could benefit from driving classes and with a monster like yours, learning to drive it at a track would be fun.

All the best.

Haha, yah I'm just kidding.

Congrats on the new ride. :D

Hey guys, thanks a lot for all the comments and suggestions!

The car has been operating very well and is always very responsive when pushed hard. I feel like the tune is only very slightly off but it's not that bad at all. Just needs a bit of a tweak..

As for getting the car tuned, I'm def on it. I'll def look into the shops suggested here. I was going to give API tuning in Yonkers a call today as they have a video online of a supercharged 370z getting some good numbers. Threre's another tuning shop on Long Island that seems to be good too. If anyone in my area has experience with getting their Stillen Supercharged car tuned at a place nearby with good results def let me know..

A lot of bad things I read about superchargers usually isn't about the charger itself being the issue as much as something I call- operator failure. If you push anything too hard, too often, it's going to break. If you use it more conservatively, it'll be fine. People used to talk all kinds of shizah about the supercharger in my last car but it always worked great and never gave me any issues. I may just stick with a proper tune and not upgrade things further. Esp if people have been having issues..

Like I said in my original post, I haven't been 22 in a long time so I have a fair amount of experience with driving cars and motorcycles. While this thing is a beast, I'm not one to push my limits further than I'm comfortable with. I've mostly just been taking it easy with the occasional huge parking lot visit to mess around in a safe area. That being said, if I end up tracking it I would def want to take some courses to learn how to use it to it's fullest..

The car was in fact purchased at East Coast Nissan. As for the dog crapping in the cabin joke, had-har. I didn't see any stains or smell anything off about it. Even if I did I wouldn't give two fuchs considering what's under the hood. There could've been a dead body in the thing for all I care, lol!

I'll keep my eye on the nnj car meet thread and post any updates/upgrades I make to the car here. Seems like it's all going to be about styling and stance since the performance angle is pretty well covered..

Thanks again guys! More from the car once I have some cash money to burn on it :-)

Awesome car, and I agree with takin off the CF wrap junk! I also am going to concur with the other poster who recommended taking some driving lessons. I've seen a number of people get new high powered cars and wrap them around a tree the next week.

Also, if it doesn't have an oil cooler I would highly recommend getting one since it's supercharged.

Also Also, Your username reminded me of this:
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images.../Logo_jpeg.jpg

I believe Real Auto Dynamics are in long island, I do not have a supercharger but I took my z there for some test pipes install very professional and friendly...I've see them install a lot of FI on Z's mostly turbos but they have done plenty of superchargers as well...also they are a sponsor here

Congratulations on the car! As everyone else said leave the upgrades alone. I track my car with the Stillen SC on it and it runs great. The biggest problems with the stock kit are getting it tuned right and keeping it cool. If it doesn't have a oil cooler it will run veery hot when the weather gets warn. Enjoy the car.


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Welcome to the club and congrats on the new ride. If your other cars are any indication,your new whip is in good hands!:driving: